Hrant Dink, the editor of 'Akos' newspaper in Turkey, was murdered today.. He was one courageous man who dared to challenge the Turkish denial of Genocide while himself living in Turkey. This murder will probably push the Turkish-Armenians further underground.

I maintain that the murderer is the Turkish government for refusing to acknowledge the Armenian genocide and feeding hatred unto one too many people in its country for so many decades.

I am, on the other hand, glad to see so many Turks (leftist or not) come out on the streets to protest this murder. The streets could have been chillingly quiet, but they are not. As I understand it, there are still thousands of Turks out there protesting this horrendous crime. We should form as much alliance with them as we can. Insulting Turkishness as I have been reading on this thread by one too many Armenians will NOT help our case.

And finally, ironically, the saying "gna spanvir, ari sirem" seems to apply all too well once again among Armenians. How much crap did Dink receive from Armenians who are now all of a sudden crying and in mourning? Let's search this forum alone. I would therefore not be surprised if we receive the same sort of reaction if, god forbid, Mutafian gets assassinated.

Did you guys noticed in the past couple of days the turks have been kind of passive...?The barbarians have been planning the murder of Hrant Dink for some period of time.

This is not the governments doing, he was moderate and known also to criticise the Diaspora, I won't be surprised if it end up that some fanatic Turk did it. Even a nationalist Turk will know and even if he could hate the guy that this is not a positive thing for Turkey.

Hrank Dink was a good man. He followed his way, he criticised Turkey, the Diaspora, France even armenian church. I am realy curious who murdered him, and why he did this.(If He is not fanatic, what the hell of his aim? )

Three Arrested in Turkey for Murder of Outspoken Journalist Hrant Dink

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Istanbul governor Muammer Guler said three people were arrested in connection with the murder of journalist Hrant Dink earlier on Friday, CNN-Turk television reported.

No further information was provided on the arrests. Earlier in the day, two people were arrested, only to be released when officials decided they had no connection to the crime. Dink was one of the most prominent voices of Turkey's Armenian community, and a frequent target of nationalist anger.

Dink faced constant threats and legal proceedings as one of the most prominent voices of Turkey's shrinking Armenian community was shot to death Friday at the entrance to his newspaper's offices, police said.

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Dink, a 53-year-old Turkish citizen of Armenian descent, had gone on trial numerous times for speaking out about the mass killings of Armenians by Turks at the beginning of the 20th century. He had also received threats from nationalists, who viewed him as a traitor.

Dink, who edited the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, said in his last column on Jan. 10 that he had become famous as an enemy of Turks and had received no protection from authorities despite his numerous complaints about the threats against him.

"My computer's memory is loaded with sentences full of hatred and threats," Dink wrote. "I am just like a pigeon. ... I look around to my left and right, in front and behind me as much as it does. My head is just as active."

He ended the column by predicting this would be a difficult year, but he would survive it. "For me, 2007 is likely to be a hard year. The trials will continue, new ones will be started. Who knows what other injustices I will be up against," he wrote.

Dink's killing drew condemnation from Europe, Armenia, the United States and numerous media freedom and human rights organizations. Thousands of Turks marched down the street where he died, blocking traffic and carrying posters bearing his photo.

In October 2005, Dink was convicted of trying to influence the judiciary after Agos ran stories criticizing a law making it a crime to insult Turkey, the Turkish government or the Turkish national character. He was given a six-month suspended sentence.

The conviction was rare even in a country where trials of journalists, academics and writers have become common. Most of the cases, including that of the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, were either dropped on a technicality or led to acquittals.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Dink's death as an attack against Turkey's unity and promised to catch those responsible. He said he had appointed top officials from the Justice and Security ministries to investigate the killing.

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"Once again, dark hands have chosen our country and spilled blood in Istanbul to achieve their dark goals," Erdogan said.

Dink cried during an interview with The Associated Press last year as he talked about some of his countrymen's hatred for him, saying he could not stay in a country where he was unwanted.

"I'm living together with Turks in this country," Dink told the AP. "I don't think I could live with an identity of having insulted them in this country ... if I am unable to come up with a positive result, it will be honorable for me to leave this country."

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said 18 Turkish journalists have been killed for their work in the past 18 years.

"Like dozens of other Turkish journalists, Dink has faced political persecution for his work and now appears to have paid the ultimate price for it," CPJ Middle East Program Coordinator Joel Campagna said. "Turkish authorities must ensure that this crime, like past ones, does not go unpunished."

Two people detained in the killing were later released because they had no relationship to the crime, news reports said.

Turkey's relationship with its Armenian community is fraught with tension and painful memories of a brutal past. Much of Turkey's once-sizeable Armenian population was killed or driven out of the country from 1915-1923 in what an increasing number of countries are recognizing as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died but vehemently denies it was genocide, saying the overall figure is inflated and the deaths occurred in the civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey, which is overwhelmingly Muslim, and Armenia, which claims to be the first country to official adopt Christianity, share a border, but it is closed and the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations.

Can Dundar, Dink's friend and fellow journalist, said he wished Dink had left the country as he once promised he would in the face of the threats, protests and legal proceedings against him.

"Hrant's body is lying on the ground as if those bullets were fired at Turkey," Dundar told private NTV television.

Dink's body was covered with a white sheet in front of the newspaper's entrance. NTV said four empty shell casings were found on the ground and that he was killed by two bullets to the head.

Workers at the newspaper, including Dink's brother, who has also been put on trial in Turkey, wept and consoled each other near his body.

Fehmi Koru, a columnist at the Yeni Safak newspaper, said Dink's slaying was aimed at destabilizing Turkey. "His loss is the loss of Turkey," Koru said.

Dink had complained in a letter that he received no responses even after complaining to authorities about threats of violence made to him, NTV reported.

A colleague at Dink's newspaper, Aydin Engin, said Dink had attributed the threats to elements in the "deep state," a Turkish term that implies shadowy, deeply nationalist and powerful elements in the government.

I can't believe that REUTERS called him a Turkish American instead of Turkish Armenian!

Not only JEUTERS, also the Persian VOA (Voice of Israel) also called him of Turkish origin several times and once American of Turkish origin. In the state of disillusionment that I'm right now, I can't help seeing some Zionist intention in this. Hope I'm wrong but you never know.

The writer and journalist has been a frequent target of nationalist anger since he was convicted of 'insulting Turkishness'.

He was prosecuted after speaking out over the mass killing of Armenians by Turks during the First World War.

The killing triggered protests at the scene and condemnation from the Turkish Prime Minister.

SOUNDBITE: Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister, saying (Turkish):

"Unfortunately dark hands have chosen Hrant Dink this time to achieve their criminal purposes. It's significant that this murder happened when the Armenian genocide is top of the agenda in some countries."

Turkish broadcaster NTV said Dink was shot three times in the neck.

Police are hunting a man aged about 18 or 19.

The attack is certain to raise political tensions in Turkey where lawmakers of all parties have been courting the nationalist vote ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections.